A Landmark in Sustainable Cooling: Barangaroo Gallery & Event Hall

Overview
Set within 22 hectares of reclaimed land on Sydney’s Barangaroo waterfront, the Barangaroo Gallery & Event Hall is part of a government-led refurbishment of a semi-underground cultural space. Designed to host everything from contemporary art exhibitions to corporate events and music festivals, the venue needed an HVAC system that could provide year-round comfort, meet strict sustainability goals, and operate quietly within the limitations of its underground plant room.

Challenge

The Barangaroo project required more than standard HVAC equipment. The gallery and event hall needed a system capable of delivering reliable comfort across a wide range of uses while also meeting tough sustainability targets and strict site access rules.

Key requirements included:

• Zero water consumption, supporting the district’s wider resource conservation goals
• Reliable year-round comfort to handle varying occupancy levels and event demands
• Compact, low-noise operation suitable for the underground location
• Challenging installation logistics, with equipment disassembled, moved manually across multiple floors, and reassembled under weekend-only access restrictions due to cybersecurity protocols
• Higher efficiency and sustainability than conventional systems, meeting the project’s performance criteria

Solution

Smardt worked with the mechanical contractor under a Design & Construct model to develop a system that addressed both technical demands and sustainability goals.

The solution included two Smardt oil-free centrifugal chillers running on low-GWP R-513A refrigerant, providing a combined 650 kW cooling capacity. Configured as a 4-pipe system, the chillers can supply heating and cooling at the same time, which is essential for a venue with diverse, year-round events.

To fit the tight underground plant room, custom-engineered AHUs were designed for compact integration. The system also uses low-temperature heating at 35°C, reducing energy consumption while maintaining comfort at 20°C. Importantly, the design achieved zero water consumption, directly supporting Barangaroo’s conservation goals.

A central part of the solution was the Kiltech optimization platform, which manages heating and cooling loads in real time. Combined with Smardt’s unified controls, the system smoothly transitions between seasonal modes, providing flexibility with only two machines in operation.

Despite the site’s restrictions, the installation was completed without disruption. Equipment was disassembled, transported, reassembled, and commissioned under strict security protocols.

Benefits

The Barangaroo installation shows how Smardt’s oil-free technology delivers both performance and sustainability.

• Outperformed competing systems in energy efficiency during consultant-led testing
• Delivered stable indoor comfort at 20°C across seasonal and event conditions
• Designed to support Green Star and NABERS certification pathways
• Eliminated water use, supporting long-term conservation goals
• Reduced environmental impact with low-GWP refrigerant
• Achieved a compact footprint without reducing capacity

Results / Conclusion

SETTING A NEW BENCHMARK IN SUSTAINABLE HVAC

The Barangaroo Gallery & Event Hall now operates one of the most efficient government-owned HVAC systems in Sydney. The system provides reliable comfort, lower operating costs, and reduced environmental impact while giving the venue the flexibility to adapt to a wide range of events. Smardt’s technology, paired with intelligent optimization, demonstrates how high performance and sustainability can go hand in hand — even in the most challenging environments.